Mon April 29, 2024
Hi Gang! We made it to our first of five Canary Islands (and there’s only seven!). Today we docked in Arricefe on the Canary Island of Lanzarote. We rented a car for the day and literally drove all around the island. This island was like driving around the moon. It’s called the “volcano island” and there was volcanic rock all over. We even found some black sand beaches made from volcanic soil!
We started in the north of the island at a lookout point called Jameos del Agua. Nice views but so different from islands with sand beaches. These were mostly lava rocks… ouch!
We then drove to the highest point on the island called Mirador del Rio. Part of the drive up was on very narrow, windy roads but it was worth it once we got there (and I could unclench my hands from the steering wheel!). The views were pretty amazing.
We then went to the town of Teguise which was the former capital until 1847. The current capital is Arricefe. Teguise was a cute little town with lots of small shops and an old church. We had brought food from the ship (why not, they have tons!) and ate our lunch in Teguise.
From there we drove to Timanfaya National Park. This is the only national park in Spain that is the result of volcanic eruptions. The absence of vegetation, the extreme ruggedness of the terrain, the variety of colors, the silhouettes of the volcanoes and the jagged coastline, all contribute to Timanfaya’s beauty.
Our last stop was an area in the south of the island called El Golfo. It had some nice views and several black sand beaches. Very cool!
We then drove back to the car rental place but got lost along the way even with the GPS! Coming back into the city of Arrecife it was nothing but one way streets and we kept going in circles. Luckily we got back and didn’t miss the ship! The guy at the car rental place said they just changed a bunch of the street directions lately and it’s screwing up everyone’s GPS! Geez!!
That’s all for now. I’ll do another update after dinner tonight. Happy Monday to all!
The Wandering Italian 